Fellows for Academic Year 2012-2013

Jacyk Distinguished Research Fellow for 2012-2013

Volodymyr Kulyk

Leading Research Fellow, Institute of Political and Ethnic Studies, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine

Area of Study:

Political Science

Title of Research:

“Language Attitudes and Policy Preferences in Ukraine under Yanukovych”

Abstract:

Kulyk’s research project will investigate language-related attitudes and policy preferences of the Ukrainian population under the presidency of Viktor Yanukovych. It will analyze various ethnolinguistic and demographic groups' perceptions of the actual and appropriate roles of the Ukrainian and Russian languages in Ukrainian society and the state's policy with regard to these languages. These perceptions will be juxtaposed with the respective groups' language practices in various domains, in order to assess to what extent citizens are willing to contribute to the actualization of their declared societal preferences. In addition, Kulyk plans to look at popular perceptions of the very categories of native language and nationality which post-Soviet Ukraine inherited from the Soviet Union. Of particular interest is the extent to which these categories mix ethnolinguistic self-perception with civic loyalty.